02.22.2015 1 Cor. 8-10 - How to Live an Unoffensive Life - by Mike Marette - And Rick Reynolds shares about "The Cup" in Matt 26

02.22.2015 Worship/Communion from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

1 Cor. 8-10 - How to Live an Unoffensive Life - by Mike Marette - And Rick Reynolds shares about "The Cup" in Matt 26 from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

Great is Your faithfulness, Lord! We give You freedom to speak as You would speak.
Glad to see you this week – I missed all of you last week – I was here and no one showed up! No one called or emailed me to let me know the service was canceled! Just kidding!
1 Cor. 10: 31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Do not give offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I also try to please everyone in all things. I do not seek my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.
What does Paul mean by not giving an offense – it is not just being rude or inconsiderate – it includes those things – but in this context, a better definition would be to not be a stumbling block or a barrier to another person’s faith or relationship with God. So it is much more than ‘just don’t be rude’ - Don’t do damage to other people’s faith!
That is how we offend. The context of this has to do with eating meat sacrificed to idols. You probably woke up this morning worrying that you would accidentally eat meat sacrificed to idols… and I hope I don’t see anyone eating meat sacrificed to idols! No, you’ve probably never thought about it – and for them – it is a significant issue. But we can take these principles and apply them to our lives today.
There would be sacrifices – and then a feast.
1 Corinthians 8: 9 But be careful that this liberty of yours does not become a hindrance to the weak. 10 For if someone weak sees you who possess knowledge dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience be “strengthened” to eat food offered to idols? 11 So by your knowledge the weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed. 12 If you sin against your brothers or sisters in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause one of them to sin.
He is referring to those who regard themselves as superior – strong vs. weak – those who possess knowledge – They believed that since there is no such thing as idols, it was okay to go to the festival and eat the meat – because it didn’t really matter.
We’ll look over that part – because it doesn’t really matter – what goes inside is meaningless – it is just food - but in another sense – anyone who looked at them thought they were engaged in what they were engaged in – the superior people of the church – have the freedom to go to the idol temple and so that means I can go and still be involved in the worship of idols. Maybe it is the younger Christians or the slaves who look up to the rich – so it damages their faith.
First, we must not trivialize this – When we talk about stumbling blocks, we trivialize what it means - it deals with destroying faith and leading people to sin. We have a church picnic – and we have vegetarians in our church (gasp!). But you know what we serve? We don’t stop serving Hamburgers and Hotdogs and sausages. But we also provide veggie burgers – so they can participate! We also have people who are gluten free – so when we order pizza – we get a gluten free pizza! Some people can’t have caffeine – so we don’t stop serving coffee, we also offer decaf! This is not really what this is talking about. Maybe this comes a little closer: Alcohol. The Bible never says drinking alcohol is wrong – but getting drunk is. In this culture – where there are so many alcoholics – you may have a freedom to drink alcohol, to have a glass of wine or whatever, but there are certain situations where us using our freedom may destroy someone else’s faith. Be careful of that. If that is the case, don’t do it! Don’t even think about it
Paul says in 8: 13 For this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I may not cause one of them to sin.
He is using hyperbole – it is not that he will never eat food again – but he is saying – if what I am doing will damage another brother or sister – I will stop that.
What is one of the biggest idols we have? Money. There are people who are practicing this ‘eating meat in the temple’ – Christian leaders – ministry leaders. When people connect mature faith with affluent extravagant lifestyles – and if someone makes a lot of money – and says that if you have faith you will have this kind of lifestyle – that is ‘eating meat in the temple’
When people with knowledge and power and influence use their skills and gifts and knowledge in the church to influence people to believe things they do not believe and to do things they should not do, they damage people’s faith. There is teaching that persuades people to real faith, and teaching that manipulates people into doing things that offend their consciences.
When we use personal conviction to influence others’ behavior, that is legalism. That is what the Pharisees did. Jesus damned them the most. His most critical words were always for them.
So how do we avoid offending?
1 Cor. 10: 31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God
That is first – doing everything for the glory of God – live in such a way to not draw attention or recognition for ourselves – so that all the glory goes to God – live in such a way so that people say God is wonderful. There is a difference there.
The source of being offensive is a deep need of approval and attention.
If a person tends to offend – they have an issue with identity and worth. They may not know that – but that is where it lies. We need to find our identity in Christ – and know that we are loved and accepted wholly – by what we are about to do here in a moment (break bread and worship) – because we know our value and worth come not from the outside – but from God.
We tend to get our value and worth from our accomplishments – how well people like us – but God makes it clear that there is only one place to get your worth and value – from the fact that Jesus loves you and we are God’s children – loved and accepted by God – we are His beloved – and it is out of that that we can live an unoffensive life. We are no longer agenda driven people, we become grace driven people
Everything else will fall apart in life at some point.
1 Cor. 10:32 Do not give offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I also try to please everyone in all things. I do not seek my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.
Second – if you want to live an unoffensive life, Learn to seek other’s benefit – in all that we do – think – how does this help someone else? How can I be a benefit at work or home or church? And then live that way! How can I serve? How can I give benefit?
Philip Yancey says to be a dispenser of grace – bestow love and compassion to others! Like the coffee thing but with grace - Just pump me on the head and grace will squirt out. God has filled up inside this pot all this grace and compassion and it needs to flow through me
Ortberg – for others to be around you – is it healing, freeing, uplifting experience – or burdensome, stressful and tense? What do people experience? Do people leave me feeling they are not doing enough – or not doing it right – or do they feel like their burden has been lifted and their yoke made easy?
Precursor – a woman washes Jesus’ feet with her hair – and the Pharisee is offended (she is a sinner, a prostitute, an immoral woman!) – so Jesus tells this story:
Luke 7: 41 “A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss of greeting, but from the time I entered she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfumed oil. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”
There are three things people do to welcome a guest – and to not do them are highly offensive
1) wash feet – Simon probably didn’t do this for Jesus because he didn’t like Jesus. This is a terrible offense – to have a guest into the home and not have someone wash their feet.
2) kiss of greeting -
3) anoint my head with oil…
47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which were many, are forgiven, thus she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little loves little.”
For us to live unoffensively – our offenses, which are many – have been forgiven.
Simon only offended ‘a little bit’ – and had no clue.
But the woman whose life was a living offense understood.
As we go to this time of communion, may our hearts be filled with Your grace.
As we prepare for communion – I have a short lesson I’d like to share with you that God has lain on my heart for about a year now –
We are all familiar with the symbol of the cup mentioned in the last supper. But there is another cup mentioned shortly later:
Matthew 26:36 –
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed.38 Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “So, couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done.” 43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open. 44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more.
What was Jesus’ state at this time? During the last supper, he had the conversation with Judas… - then they conclude and go out to the Garden. It could have easily been the middle of the night by this time – things hit you a little harder in the middle of the night – you tend to not think as clearly. His closest companions cannot stay awake – and it is only a few hours before His crucifixion.
38 – my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow – to the point of death.
39 – he fell with his face to the ground and prayed.
We are told of Jesus praying many times (early in the morning, getting away to a mountaintop ) – but this is the only time we are told how he prayed: he feel to the ground.
Luke says that an angel came and strengthened him – and being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly - His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground – and he prayed more earnestly. He was all there. He knew how important it was. What was he praying? That the cup would be taken from Him. What cup was He talking about? He was not carrying a cup with him – what did it represent? What was going on with this cup he could drink from?
We know Christ had to die to pay for our sins – physically and spiritually.
In the Old Testament – they had a symbolic death in the sacrifice of the lambs – yes, they physically died – but with Jesus – it was not just physical – He also had to die spiritually in order to make atonement for our sins.
Did you ever wonder why Jesus had to die such an agonizing death? The Old Testament animals were not tortured for hours on the altar. It was relatively fast and painless. So why was Jesus required to go through such a long, agonizing death? Here is what I think::
We can’t fathom the spiritual death Jesus had to suffer – so I think God made a demonstration of the spiritual death in the physical death he suffered.
Jesus cried out - My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me? Scholars believe that is the beginning of the spiritual death – and He is all alone.
I think it was to represent in a way we could understand – the agony of the cross.
I am amazed at how God used Mel Gibson to make The Passion of the Christ. It is a tough movie to watch – especially the scene where Jesus is being flogged. The guy in charge put his hand up – and there was such relief that it was over – and then horror of horrors – he flipped his hand over to indicate that He should be flogged on His front as well. I don’t know how Jesus kept from calling down 10000 angels to prevent it – but He knew what He had to do.
What does Jesus see in the cup? I think He sees the faces of all of us. I think He sees the sins of everyone. Think of all the evil deeds that have ever been done – and think of your sins – your sins are in that cup. That was the cup – and my interpretation of the cup is that it is the sum of the sins we have committed.
He was willing to die – to pay the price – we don’t have the mind to understand what that spiritual death meant. Think of what it meant.
Imagine – seeing the reflection of your face in that cup – and the sum of your sins.